Monday morning came by at a speed of light and Anna Lisa wasn’t looking forward to seeing Neil at the office, except that she needed to talk to him. She wanted to set down some rules since she was forced to share her work area with him. Her office was one of the larger ones, and it could easily accommodate two. The walls were light mocha, the chairs and sofas were covered with elegant taupe fabrics and the rest of the furniture was made of oak. Her swivel chair sat behind a desk with its back toward the view of the city. Neil’s desk was to her left, away from the wall. She had shown up on Saturday with the movers to make sure that the furniture was arranged to her liking because she decided to create a pleasant and comfortable working environment for the two of them. A calendar, desk mat and filing trays were among some of the accessories she had ordered. They had arrived in boxes and were set on his desk on Friday. Anna Lisa noticed they had been opened and arranged neatly on his table, his empty bookshelves now carried reference books and there was a stack of papers on his desk. She assumed Neil had been there some time between Saturday evening and Sunday. Anna Lisa was reviewing the topics of her discussion in her head when he walked in wearing an impeccable dark gray suit, said a brief hello and went to his desk. He was frowning and seemed to be in a disagreeable mood, so she didn’t reply. Instead, she went through her mail and the messages in her tray. He began by making phone calls to London. Soon each became so preoccupied with their work that they forgot about each other. After a few hours passed, Neil’s facial muscles relaxed. He even joked around with Kimberly, the new secretary Paul recently hired. Anna Lisa noticed his improved mood and said, “Perhaps we should go over some rules and expectations, Mr. Whittaker, since we’ll be sharing this office for eight months.”
He looked up in surprise. He thought she seemed stiff in her cream shirt and her hair pulled back into a bun. She would look so much softer if only she let her hair loose and wore something more feminine. “Yes, perhaps we should.” “Would you like to go first?” “No Leeza, you first.” He stared at her with amusement. “For one, my name is not Lisa, nor is it Leeza as you would pronounce it. My name is Anna Lisa, Mr. Whittaker. Please remember it.” She crossed her arms over her chest. Named after her grandmother, Anna, and her mother, Lisa, she preferred to be called Anna Lisa. She didn’t want to be confused with her grandmother, and she thought Lisa was too common of a name. “I will if you call me Neil.” He put his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair. His arrogant tone and lofty stance annoyed her. “I’ll do no such a thing.” “Then that’s settled, Leeza. Is there anything else?” He continued staring. “Oh, what’s the use? You have an answer for everything,” she said throwing her hands up in the air and responding with a frustrated voice. “But let me assure you, there is one point on which you will not get your way and that’s the parking ticket, the towing fee and a bill sitting on your desk.” He looked over his desk and asked with astonishment, “What ticket? What towing fee? Did someone tow my car?” I should have had your car towed and saved my own instead, Anna Lisa thought. She frowned and became angrier as she recalled last Friday. “You didn’t answer my question,” Neil repeated, “Did someone tow my car? “No, someone towed my car when you took my parking space,” Anna Lisa replied through her clenched teeth. He picked up the ticket, the towing receipt and another bill that was attached to it and glanced over them. “What is this bill for $13?” “It’s what you owe me because I had to bribe a gardener to give up his parking space.” She didn’t really care about the money but she blamed him for the mishaps of the prior week. “Let me get this straight. You bribed someone so you could have their parking space?” “That’s right.” “But the space was in an illegal zone and thus you got a ticket and your car was towed away.” “Yes, and now you must pay for all the trouble you caused me.” He tried hard to suppress his laughter at her stupidity and the thought of her looking for her car and not finding it. “How did you get home?” “My friend Leila gave me a ride to pick up my car at a tow yard in Westchester, near the airport. It took me an hour in traffic to get there.” “Near the airport? They towed your car all the way down there?” he asked as his eyes widened. “Yes Mr. Whittaker, they did.” When she saw the smirk on his face, she added, “I realize you find all this amusing, but I’d appreciate it if you’d just pay me back for all the trouble you have caused and be done with it. I’d like to put this unpleasant matter behind us and move forward.”
He glanced at the papers in his hands. “I’m not going to pay for any of it. You got yourself into this mess. Get yourself out.” She pushed back her chair, got up, moved toward his desk and put her hands against the edge of his desk in a menacing manner. “Now wait just a darn minute. I wouldn’t have gotten a ticket had you not parked in my parking space.” Neil lost his cool and stood up as well. He wasn’t about to let a woman push him around. “And were would you suggest I park?” he asked bringing up his tone to match her raised voice. “The guest parking was temporarily closed due to renovation,” he replied pointing his finger toward the parking garage, “and there wasn’t a single space on the street.” “Yes but that didn’t give you the right to steal my spot,” she yelled at him. “I didn’t steal anything,” he snapped back. She put her hand on her waist and with a voice filled with irritation burst out, “Mr. Whittaker, I have no intention of backing down. You must pay for the entire expense.” “No. Absolutely not.” And so the two of them went at it, arguing back and forth. Neither one heard the light knock on the door that was already half ajar. The intruder walked in and remained quiet for some time. When she saw no one had taken notice of her, she cleared her throat and said, “Did I come in at a bad time?” Neil turned and saw his sister, Juliet. “No, you came in at a perfect time. Leeza and I were just finished. Let’s go have lunch before I lose my appetite,” and with that he abandoned the fight leaving Anna Lisa in fury.